Salad Time

...Okay it is really hot here. Really muggy and hot. So there is only one thing that I want after running around all day and that is...well everything in my refrigerator.

So as usual I followed my body as I looked through the refrigerator. That really is the beautiful thing about salads; you can put anything in them. As always change whatever you want. If you want sun dried tomato in there, go for it! Toss in some stuff that is about to go bad.

Ingredients:
Salad
2 leaves of butter lettuce hand torn
2 small radishes sliced thinly
1/2 small Haas Avocado sliced
1 Green Onion chopped
Handful of cooked chickpeas

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Red wine Vinaigrette
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Thyme to taste
Lemon juice to taste

First mix all of the veggies together and place to the side. Then in a small bowl whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients. Drizzle over the top of salad.

Herb Garden 101

Alright, as many of you know I live in an apartment which is not the most conducive to cooking hard core anyway. One of the things that gets to me about it (Besides not being able to compost or have a gas stove installed) is the fact that I have no yard for herb gardening.

Herbs and spices are one of the best medicines for a sad boring dinner. There are no limits to how you can change something with just a layer of basil. So I started my own porch side garden in a pot. What I really want is an Areogarden but I don't see myself finding one hundred dollars in the new future. Either way traditional gardening has its own advantages.

Heres what you'll need:
1 medium to large gardening pot
Bag of organic gardening soil
Small bag of sand
4 kinds of organic seeds

Okay, for new gardeners sand might seem weird but trust me. Place a layer of sand about 2 inches thick on the bottom of your pot. This will keep water from running out when you water it and make the soil more absorbent. Next place a layer of the organic gardening soil until about 2 inches from the top of the pot. Don't pack it. You want the soil to be rather fluffy.

Next, divide the pot into four sections in your mind. Place the seeds under the soil about 1/4 of an inch unless the package directs you otherwise. Keep in mind that different plants will need different things so when you try to pick your seeds make sure that they have similar care needs! You can put markers in the soil if you want, labeling the kind of herbs that are in each section. Water, lightly so that you don't move the seeds around and place on your patio.

Depending on your herb you should water daily in the morning or evening. If you live in the south you know this is because less water will be evaporated by the sun.

And there you are! You should have your own little Herb garden sprouting up on your patio in the next 15 days!

Vegan Pasta

I know it has been a really long time. Just having trouble cooking what with the end of school, graduation and trying to find a new place to live.

But after long last I bring to you another recipe for home made Vegan Fettuccine! I am a huge pasta fan. One of my earliest memories is of standing on a chair with my father making our own home made pasta. Of course at the time I thought it was the coolest thing ever to pour the eggs through the little slot on the electric pasta machine and watch it mix.

These days though I go a little lower tech with a hand crank pasta maker that I got for Christmas. It looks like this and you can find one in a lot of home goods stores what you're looking for. it looks something like this one:

Ingredients:
1+ cups of all purpose flour
1+ cups of semolina flour
2/3 cups of water
1 1/2 table spoon Olive oil
Salt

Start by mixing the two types of flour together, creating a well at the bottom. Set this a side.

Mix wet ingredients and salt together in smaller bowl before pouring it into the well. Mix all of these together, if it is two wet add a bit more flour until it not too wet or too dry.

Take out a manageable piece of dough and run it through the crank that does not have holes. Crank until it is the desired thickness. Switch the crank handle and take the long peice of dough. Carefully crank it through, using your other hand or a friends to hold the pasta coming out on the other side. Place it on a floured baking tray until you are ready to boil it.

Unlike store bought dried pasta, this will only take about three minutes to boil through. Boil water with olive oil and salt in it.

Once drained you can top it with salt but I recommend trying it on its own first. I like to chop up veggies like roma tomato's, onion,and garlic with a touch of fresh basil. But to each his own! Enjoy.


Notes that you can save extra by wrapping it in cling wrap and freezing it.

A Summer Nights Dinner

Okay so I'm trying something new right now and that is a...basically raw food medley for dinner. Lets face it; it's summer we are running around, we want to be outside (most of us) and we want to look good. After laying on the beach, or swimming, or going on long hikes for the day, the last thing we want to do is ruin all that fun but hard work off with a heavy dinner that makes us want to unbutton our jeans and do a Homer Simpson.

So what I did tonight was take a page from a raw kind of life style and put together a grouping of foods that will fill you up and do what food is meant to do: Nourish your body. You can always subsitute other foods out but make sure that you are getting what you feel your body needs. Look them up. So here is mine:

The first thing that you can probably see is that these are all some great snack foods. Grapes, baby carrots, walnuts and Hummus. What you cant see is that all of these foods have their own special powers. The grapes are amazing anti oxidants. Walnuts are chalk full of amino acids and enough omega three as a cut of salmon. Hummus is made from chick peas and is stuffed with lean protein. The baby carrots are full of vitamin A which is great for helping you sun drenched skin and eyes... among other vitamins. Top that off with a cup of fruit juice (Pure of course) and you have an amazingly good for you meal!

Banana Ice Cream

Public Confession Time....

Alright I give in and have to tell all of you that I am an ice cream addict. Some of my fondest memories are of my family and myself sitting around after dinner and having a bowl of ice cream.

Alas, ice cream is not vegan. True you can find some yummy ones that are but they too are stuffed with processed sugar. Purely Decadent is my favorite and a guilty pleasure. But Fear not health food lovers! I bring you a recipe for home made, non dairy, no artificial sugar, one ingredient ice cream just in time for summer!

Ingredients:

3 Bananas

Thats it.

Peal off the banana's and cut into pieces about 1 inch thick. Place them in the freezer for about 1-2 hours. You can also try adding foods like frozen mango and other fruits to alter tastes!

When frozen take them out and stick them into a food processor. Puree until creamy....freeze again if not cold enough for you. Thats it. You are done! I sprinkled some walnuts on top of mine cause I love them!

Chilled Soba, Sesame and Carrot Salad

I love this salad/ pasta dish. I don't know what it is like everywhere else in the world right now but in Texas it is nice and hot already. That means for a Northerner like myself trapped in cattle country, I need something to eat that will keep me cool. The chilled noodles and rice vinegar totally do that job! Yummy!

Keep in mind that this serves about 4 people
8 ounces soba (Buckwheat Noodles)
3 large carrots
1 bunch (about 6) scallions
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce, or to taste
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted or I like them raw.

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and toss with just a drizzle of cooking oil to keep them from sticking together. Put in the refrigerator to cool.
Peel the carrots and shave with a peeler. You should have about 2-3 cups of loose carrot shavings. Chop the green parts of the scallions and set the white parts aside for another recipe.

Whisk the sesame oil, vinegar, and soy sauce together and taste. Adjust for taste. Toss the carrots, scallions, chilled noodles and sesame seeds together and serve.

Health Note: Okay lets get real here....Some of the stuff that I talk about on here "normal eaters" don't know what it is or why I think its better for them. So I just want to out line that with Soba. Soba is made of buckwheat flour. Plain and simple. Buckwheat flour has a rich, nutty flavor that is to die for. Not to mention that it is high in since buckwheat is high in fiber, amino acids, protein, niacin, and vitamin B, among other things.

Because Its Earth Day

So I couldn't think of anything to cook today for earth day that I haven't posted yet. Not to mention that I don't have any cash right now so buying food today is just not happening. But it is earth day and that in itself deserves applause. So yay!

On that note I do have some things that I would like to mention. The first is a cookbook for anyone that has kids ages nothing to teenagers. I found this on a blog that I follow (Food practice) and I am in love with it. Its called "Organically Raised" and it is something that I want when I have kids. I do have friends that have children and I suggested it to a few of them and they love it! For a full description of it on Food Practice click Here.

Another thing that I would like to share for Earth day is the Buddhist Shrine I made...or started today. Its a work in progress...just like living a mindful Buddhist life. For those of you that do not know a Shrine in this case is not like an alter (Just so I don't freak my family out). It is a focal point for meditation and a reminder in your home of being kind and compassionate to the world every time you walk out the door. So here is mine!

I hope you have a great Earth day and do your best to make the world the perfect peaceful place that you want it to me.